Shower head



NOV. 3, 1953 R. E. BLETCHER ET AL 7,

SHOWER HEAD Filed Feb. 20, 1950 IHI;

Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" SHOWER HEAD R. B. Robertson Application February 20, 1950, Serial No. 145,284

8 Claims. (01. 299-130) This invention relates to a new and useful shower head.

The principal object of this invention is to convert a stream of relatively high velocity water into a spray of finely divided and relatively low velocity water suitable for use in a shower bath or the like.

It frequently occurs in devices for accomplishing this result that a hollow cone of finely divided and relatively low velocity water is produced. It is an object of this invention to eliminate this hollow cone and produce a spray of relatively constant density throughout.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for adjusting the quality or fineness of the spray.

It is a still further object of this invention to produce a spray consisting of a plurality of droplets of water as distinguished from a series of fine streams or needles of water in one position and to produce a cone of streams or needles of water in a second position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for flushing out the shower head without necessitating removal or dismantling of the shower head.

The preferred embodiment of our invention contemplates a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt, extending from the throat, dispersing means disposed in the restricted throat which slightly alters the angle of flow through said throat and disperses the water passing through said throat, means for longitudinally adjusting said dispersing means to control the dispersion of water passing through the throat, and a plurality of alternating depressed frustoconical surfaces and raised interrupted frustoconical surfaces in the skirt to assist in controlling the character of the discharge spray. It is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and locality of the various elements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the accompanying claims.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings- In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates a side elevation of ashower head attached to a water supply pipe;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a shower head embodying this invention with the water dispersing means at its uppermost position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the shower head with the dispersingv means at the flushing position; 7

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the dispersing means and its associated parts; and r Fig. 6 is a fragmentary prospective view i1lus trating the restricted throat and the skirt.

The housing H! which forms a chamber I I may be constructed in a single casting provided with a transverse web forming a restricted throat l2 and provided with a skirt It. It is contemplated that various changes in the shape and details of the housing may be resorted to without altering the mode of operation of this invention. In this particular form the housingv I0 is provided with external threads 16 adapting the device to be attached to a water supply pipe 18 as illustrated in Figure l.

The water dispersing means in this embodi ment may be composed of a plug member 20 provided with a flange 22 as seen in Figure 5. A sleeve 24 which is made of rubber or other resilient material slidably fits on the plug member. The lower extremity of the sleeve 24 is provided with a plurality of teeth 3|] forming grooves which serve to disperse the flow of water through the throat I2 as hereinafter will be described. Also at the upper extremities of theteeth an annular ridge or ledge 3| is formed on the sleeve, the function of which will subsequently be'described. The teeth 30 in this embodiment are not parallel to 35511 other but they are preferably formed on the sleeve at slightly. varying. angles to each other which aids in dispersing the water flowing through the throat. The circumference of the sleeve about the toothed portion is slightly larger than the circumference of the restricted throat so that the teeth are slightly distorted when the plug member is held in the restricted throat which adds to the dispersion of the flow through the throat.

A pair of cup shaped members 32 and 33, the

outer diameter of which corresponds to the inner diameter of the chamber H, are provided to retain the plug member within the housing. Each of these cup members is provided with an opening in its closed end 34 and 35adapted to fitover the upper extremity 36 of plug member 20 and are secured to the plug member by riveting extremity 36 forming head 38. Thus, the plug member 20 is slidably retained in the housing by the cup shaped members 32 and 33. .Openings are provided in the'upper cup 32 to permit flow of water through saidcup.- Similarly, openin s .42 are. provided in the lower cup .33 which. when the cups are mounted on the plug 3 member I0, may be oflset from the openings N as is shown in Figure 3 to create turbulence in the incoming flow and assist in dispersing the solid stream of water admitted into the chamber II.

It is desirable to be able to control the position of the water dispersing means in the mixing chamber to control the character at the spray discharged from the shower head. In this em bodiment of our invention, this is: accomplished by the eccentric M which is rotated by 46. The pin 48 on the eccentric fits me the opening 50 of upper cup 31 through a suitable opening 5| in the housing m adapted to receive the eccentric. Upon rotation of the eccentric, the cup 32, carrying with it cup 33, plug member and sleeve 24, are raised or lowered with 28* spect to the restricted throat l2. When the dispersing means is raised or lowered, the cup 32 and its associated parts are rotated a, slight amoimt', roducing a securing action in the restricted throat, thus insuring a clean unob strncteel throat through which water will This slight rotation of the" plug member It and sleeve 2. also functions to vary the angularlty between the teeth 30 on the sleeve since, as seen before, the circumference of the toothed portion or the sieeveis slightly greater than-the circu'm ference of the throat. Variation in the angular ity of the teeth and h'ence distorti on in the grooves between the teeth through which the water passes will alter the degree of dispersion and character 01 spray discharged from the shower head.

The eccentric It is provided with a recess 92 adapted to retain an 0' ring a to preventleairage from the chamber II. A similar recess if in the R is adapted to receive the locking portions nof the s lit" nhg so as seen ln Figure 2-. The split ring a is retained inthe annular recess W in the housing ft and a' re sfllent washer 8! may be utilized to retain the split ring it in' the locking position reventing lateral movement of the eccentric If.

After the water passes through the restricted:

throat f2, it passes out the discharge opening 64 m the skirt n. Aio'un'd the" circumferenceot said discharge opening" are provided a; plurality of alternating impressed interrupted rrusto' c'on ical' sui'fa'cesto, and raised interrupted frusto= conical surfaces 50-, as best seen in Figure 8; which aid in the formation of a filled" coneof the spray being discharged from the shower head.

The operation of this shower head is as fol lows:

Water isadmitted intochamber H from pipe under the usual pressure as found mthewr dinary household.- The water then through openings 40 of the cup 32 and through the openings 42 or cup- 38. Thevelooit'y'or the water is greatly incre'a'sed uponpassing through theserestricted openings" and considerable turbolence results in the cup shaped 39%- The thenpasses through the restricted most and is diflusott by the dispersing means 7 The enact-or thedispeming with its position. At the uppbvm'osfi posit'io'h plilg member asillustrated"- in Figure 2; the lower extremities of the 30 are substantially 015- pesite the lower edge of rehtricted throao l1. 1h this position a; plurality or hire needles of water 0! relatively high velocity are discharged. The streams or needles or water discharged the mom!!! element BSD m almost parallel to each other and term a spray pattern a relatively small. angle of divergence. As the dispersing means is moved downward in relation to the restricted throat I! the angle of divergence of the needles of water and Hie cross-sectional area of the needles of water will be increased.

As the-eccentric (4 is rotated by handle 46, the plug member I carrying sleeve 24 is forced downward as described before. As the teeth 30 move downward with respect to the restricted threat Ii, the degree of dispersion of the water betweeiitlie' teeth 30 is increased. This is caused by the slight distortion of the teeth which accentuates the varying angularity between the teeth 16, as described before, which in turn is caused by the circumference of the toothed portion of sleeve 24 being slightly larger than the circumference of the restricted throat l2.

At a position about midway between the upperpofition of the pli'lg' member as sho'wn in Figure 2 and the lowermost position as illustrated in Figure 3, some of the streams or needles of water pass out through the depressedlnterrupted trusto conieal surfaces 0% in the skirt and others are deflected slightly inwardly by the raised 111 terrupted frusto-conical surfaces 68, the result being a cone of relatively high velocity streams or needles of water and of substantially constant density being discharged.

As the plug member is lowered, the velocity of the discharged water reduces, the amount of turbulence in the skirt increases and the streams or needles of water discharged when the plug member is at the uppermost position tend tojbe broken up into dropletspf water. When the plug member is lowered to the position where the upper eirtrerr'a-ities of teeth are slightly below the lower edge'ofthe restricted throat l2, 2; large'portio'r'r of the water passing through the restricted throat strikes the annular ridge or ledge 3f and the upper extremities of teeth 3t and is deflected laterally ontothe inner wall of the skirt I4. This resultsina cone of water'belng discharged which is of relatively low velocity and timely divided into droplets of water much the same as rainfall.

When the plug member is lowered to the flush position shown in Figure 3', a large volume of' water may pass through thesh'ower head to fi'u'sh out any impurities whlch may have been entrapped in the shower head.

We claim: v

1. A shower head comprising? a housing prov'idedw'itha restricted thrloat and a skirt extending'beiow said throat, a plug member disposed in s'aid' throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug men'iljvei" and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve 30 that the circumference of the sleeve aboutth'e teeth bearing portion is slightly larger than the circumference or the throat and said sleeve also provided with an annular ridge immediately above'the teeth bearing portion 01' said sleeve, and means for long udinally adjusting said plug member insaid housing.

2. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and askirt extendi'ng below said threat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a" resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon; said plug member andprovided with a p'luralityof teeth of varying angularlty' with respect to-thelongit'udinal axisof thesleeve at one extremity of said sleeve'so that the" aircumference-otthesleeve about theteeth bearing directed f5 portion is slightly larger than the circumrereiice of the throat and said sleeve also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion of said sleeve, and means for longitudinally adjusting said plug member in said housing.

3. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve and also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion of said sleeve, means for longitudinally adjusting said plug member in said housing, and a lurality of alternating depressed interrupted frusto-conical surfaces and raised interrupted frusto-conical surfaces provided in said skirt;

4. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve so that the circumference of the sleeve about the teeth bearing portion is slightly larger than the circumference of the throat and said sleeve also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion of said sleeve, means for longitudinally adjusting said plug member in said housing, and a plurality of alternating depressed interrupted frusto-conical surfaces and raised interrupted frusto-conical surfaces provided in said skirt.

5. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve and also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion of said sleeve, means for slidably retaining said plug member in said housing, an eccentric which cooperates with said means to longitudinally adjust said plug member in said housing, and a locking member retained in said housing, portions of which engage and retain said eccentric in said housing.

6. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve and also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion or said sleeve, means for slidably retaining 6 said plug member in said housing, and an eccentric which cooperates with said means to longitudinally adjust said plug member in said housing and to rotate said plug member in said throat during said longitudinal adjustment.

7. A shower head comprising: a. housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a resilient sleeve adapted to be mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth at one extremity of said sleeve and also provided with an annular ridge immediately above the teeth bearing portion of said sleeve, means for slidably retaining said plug member in said housing, an eccentric which cooperates with said means to longitudinally adjust said plug member in said housing and to rotate said plug member in said throat during said longitudinal adjustment, and a locking member retained in said housing, portions of which engage and retain said eccentric in said housing.

8. A shower head comprising: a housing provided with a restricted throat and a skirt extending below said throat, a plug member disposed in said throat, a, sleeve mounted upon said plug member and provided with a plurality of teeth extending generally axially completely to the bottom extremity of said sleeve and also provided with a transverse ledge immediately above the toothed portion of said sleeve, the diameter of said toothed portion being of the same order of magnitude as the diameter of said throat, and means for longitudinally adjusting said plug member in said housing from an upper position wherein the toothed extremity of said sleeve is in said throat to a lower position wherein said annular ledge is below said throat whereby water flowing through said shower head is discharged in the form of jets of water when said plug is in said upper position and as a plurality of droplets when said plug is in said lower position.

RALPH E. BLETCHER. CLARENCE H. BENTLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,830,694 Fraser Nov. 3, 1931 1,849,517 Fraser Mar. 15, 1932 1,863,548 Bloch June 14, 1932 1,934,553 Mueller Nov. 7, 1933 1,982,538 Reedy Nov. 27, 1934 2,011,568 Cornell Aug. 20, 1935 2,448,792 Fraser Sept. 7, 1948 

